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Introducing my long time internet friend and colleague, Melody Thacker (aka the Watkins Lady!) It’s not often that we can meet someone and connect with that person on multiple levels, yet that’s the way I feel about my relationship with Melody.

As a business person, Mel has made astonishing strides since I first met her on Ryze way back in 2003. As a friend, Melody and I always take time to catch up with each other on instant messenger, and more often than not lately, on Twitter. Without the internet I never would have gotten to know this awesome lady, and now I’d like to introduce her to you…

You may have already guessed that Melody is a consultant with the direct sales company, Watkins. Like many successful business owners, Mel stumbled into her Watkins business almost accidentally even though as a child she’d been raised with Watkins (and remembers the Watkins Man visiting!) As a Mom of four, a friend re-introduced Melody to Watkins and she became a wholesale shopper with the company. It was several years before Melody started her Watkins career, and today is one of the company’s rising stars as a second level manager and the leader of The Gold Team, which is her team of associates located all across the United States and Canada.

I’m an ordinary woman, a wife and mother with no special formal education, just a strong belief in extraordinary things and a simple love of learning new things. Using Watkins products has been a tradition in our family, my Mother used them and I’m pleased that it’s one that my children continue to carrying on. Yes, we really do use Watkins products every day.

With the success of her business, you can imagine that Melody has picked up a trick or two for building her business. She is both a member and a contributor of several Wahm communities, including the Wahm Business Club (a long time member!!). Her blog, www.MelodyThacker.com contains an abundance of information on everything from blogging to book recommendations and much more.

It’s Wahm-tabulous Wednesday which means that it’s time to introduce our Wahm Of The Week, and this week that is Niki Jackson of The Vintage Artist.

Niki Jackson also known as ‘The Vintage Artist’ has been an artist all her life. As a child she loved to create and often could be found making up a new game, creating treasure hunts or a instructing friends of their roles in her plays.

Niki studied art at school and went on to complete a BTEC National Diploma in General Art & Design at Suffolk College. Niki finished college in 2000 and knew that she wanted to make a career from her art work.

In August 2004 Cinnamon Creations opened as her first online store selling her handmade primitive crafts. As time went on Niki discovered her ‘vintage’ style and decided to re-name the business to The Vintage Artist and now focuses her work on this style.

Niki loves the vintage style for it’s beautiful photographs, curvy patterns and the distressed look which makes her wonder what life was like in Victorian times.

Niki has always had a great imagination and tries to use it in all her work as she imagines who will be receiving her art and what it will mean to them. Being quite sentimental herself, Niki’s aim is to create art that captures the essence of a magical moment in your life, making something special for you that can be treasured forever.

In addition to running The Vintage Artist, Niki has a new project underway - Art Talk Radio which will have regular podcasts on the subject of mixed media art featuring your favourite artists, art news, reviews and much more.

And, I would like to personally welcome Niki as one of the newest members to the Wahm Business Club